We examined the question of whether atopic patients with allergic asthma have a quantitatively different immune response to vaccines than do non-atopic control subjects. We determined the frequency and cytokine profile of influenza antigen specific T cells in allergic asthmatic and non-allergic control subjects. No significant differences between the groups were seen in either the individual cytokines (IL-4, IFN-gamma, IL-5), the ratio of IL-4:IFN-gamma, or in CD4 T cell proliferation. These results indicate that using available techniques for detection of antigen specific responses, T cell cytokine responses to influenza do not differ markedly between atopic and non-atopic individuals.